Trump could have died. Republicans have one job at RNC in Milwaukee: Unite the country.

I’ll admit it.

I’m shaken to the core by the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday. He was shot by a sniper in his right ear. Blood streamed across his face in real time as the nation watched in horror.

Trump is lucky to be alive.

An attendee at the rally was killed. Others were critically injured.

It’s the most violent act against a sitting or former president that I can remember in my lifetime. (I was a baby when President Ronald Reagan was severely wounded in an assassination attempt in 1981.)

The Republican National Convention officially kicks off Monday in Milwaukee and thousands of people will descend on the city to witness the official nomination of Trump.

The stakes were already high. Now, they are even more so.

Before the shooting, I thought Republicans should focus on unifying the party.

Now, their task is much bigger than that.

Republicans, and especially Trump, must take the higher ground and strive to bring the country together at this definitive time in our history. There is nothing more presidential that he could do.

Time for national unity: After Trump rally shooting, Americans need to pull together. This is our wake-up call.

'More important than ever that we stand United'

The Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have announced that the convention will proceed as planned , and that Trump will attend.

Trump has made several social media posts in the wake of the shooting, and he’s struck the right tone so far.

On Sunday morning, he wrote on Truth Social :

“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, and hold in our hearts the memory of the citizen who was so horribly killed. In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

This is the rhetoric the country needs to continue to hear from the former president in the coming days.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store .

The impetus also is on President Joe Biden to cut the inflammatory words he has used to describe Trump and the alleged “threats” of a second Trump term.

Biden quickly condemned the violence after the shooting and called it “sick.”

Get ready for a Trump victory in November

For those who were hoping to ward off a second Trump term, good luck.

The photograph of Trump moments after the shooting, when he’s standing up from behind the podium surrounded by Secret Service, with his fist raised and blood across his cheek, will become the quintessential image of this campaign.

The fact that Trump had the wherewithal to react with strength at a time of extreme fear and danger says a lot about who he is, and it will rally people to his side like never before.

Americans have traditionally come together at times like this. When Reagan was nearly killed more than four decades ago, his approval rating rose sharply to 73% .

Given the extreme polarization in the country and the deep hatred so many have for Trump, it’s hard to know exactly how this will play out.

Trump gains strength: Ridin' on Biden's delusions, Trump heads into GOP convention looking pretty darn good

Yet, the shooting comes at a time when Democrats are in disarray over whether their presumptive presidential nominee should even stay in the race. After what happened Saturday, it seems less likely that the party will replace Biden, regardless of concerns over his age and acuity.

Trump was already heading into this week’s convention riding high . Surviving this horrific event will only increase his momentum.

And for the sake of all Americans, Trump must use that momentum to unite – not further divide – the country in the days and weeks ahead.

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X, formerly Twitter: @ Ingrid_Jacques

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page , on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump could have died. Republicans have one job at RNC in Milwaukee: Unite the country.